Mussel Soup

Total Time: 30 mins Preparation Time: 15 mins Cook Time: 15 mins

Ingredients

• Servings: 4
• 5 tablespoons olive oil
• 1 onion, chopped
• 1 garlic clove, minced
• 1 fennel bulb, chopped
• 1 celery rib, chopped
• 1 bay leaf
• 1/2 grated orange, zest of
• 1/4 teaspoon turmeric
• 3 plum tomatoes, chopped
• 1 cup dry wine
• 8 1/2 inches slices baguette
• 3 lbs mussels, scrubbed and debearded
• 3 cups water
• 1 teaspoon salt
• 1/4 teaspoon fresh ground black pepper
• 3/4 cup heavy cream
• 1/4 lb prosciutto or 1/4 lb other flavorful ham, chopped

Recipe

• 1 in a large pot, heat 3 tablespoons of the oil over moderately low heat. add the onion, garlic, fennel, celery, bay leaf, orange zest, and turmeric.
• 2 cook, covered, stirring occasionally, until the vegetables are soft, about 15 minutes. stir in the tomatoes and wine and simmer for 5 minutes.
• 3 meanwhile, heat the broiler. put the bread slices on a baking sheet and brush both sides with the remaining 2 tablespoons of oil. broil the bread, turning once, until golden brown, about 4 minutes in all.
• 4 discard any mussels that are broken or do not clamp shut when tapped. add the water, salt, pepper, and mussels to the pot. cover and bring to a boil.
• 5 cook, shaking the pot occasionally, just until the mussels open, 3 to 5 minutes.
• 6 as the mussels open, remove them from the pot with a slotted spoon. when the mussels are cool enough to handle, remove them from their shells.
• 7 remove the bay leaf. stir the cream into the soup and bring just to a simmer. stir in the mussels and the prosciutto and serve topped with the toasted slices of baguette.